AP EUROPEAN HISTORYMR. ZOLLO 2015 - 2016

HENRY VIII THESIS/POV PRACTICE

UNIT 2: REFORMATION (CH 11)

Name: _____________________________

Period: ______________________

Date: ____________________

Introductory Paragraph for a DBQ or LEQHistory introductory paragraphs are written the same way for DBQs and LEQs, and really only need to have one element—a thesis statement or statements (some people like to divide up the work of the thesis statement into multiple sentences). Because DBQs/LEQs are timed, and most of your points come from the body paragraphs (we will discuss this later), it is not a good idea to spend a lot of time writing a flowery, literary introduction paragraph as you would in English class.

You cannot write your thesis statement until you have gathered evidence, be it from reading DBQ documents or prewriting for your LEQ.

The introduction is where you make your first impression on the reader. Therefore, it is important that you have a strong introduction that defines your argument. First, provide a concise statement (no more than one sentence) that places the essay topic in its historical context. But NEVER begin your essay with the words: "Throughout history...." Be BRIEF- no more than 4 sentences before your thesis. After reading your introduction, your reader should know exactly what your argument is and how you are going to prove it.Your essay should be clearly organized around a thesis statement. The thesis statement:

should clearly respond to ALL PARTS of the question, without directly repeating it.should represent your own original interpretation or analysis of the informationshould make a clear ARGUMENTshould be a single sentenceshould be the last sentence of your intro

Requirements for Intro Paragraphs/Thesis StatementsThesis statements must do three things:1. Address the prompt. Someone who has never seen the prompt should be able to read your thesis statement and infer

what the prompt was. When you are formulating your thesis statement, be sure to use different words than were used in the prompt—don’t just simply restate the prompt.

2. Make an argument. Someone should be able to make a logical argument against your thesis statement. 3. Preview body paragraphs in order. Give an overview of what your body paragraphs will cover. This requirement

means you CANNOT write your thesis statement until you have gathered your evidence.

“Don’ts” for Intro Paragraphs/Thesis Statements DON’T simply restate the prompt or make a statement that could not be argued. DON’T include specific factual evidence, outside information, or document references in your intro

paragraph. Evidence belongs in body paragraphs, not the introduction. DON’T self-reference! History is not about your opinion or what you think; it is about facts! NEVER,

EVERY mention yourself in a history essay. These words are Forbidden Words: I, me, my, you, your, we, our. Every time you use a Forbidden Word in an essay, two points will be deducted from your score.

DON’T write more than four sentences. Remember, you need to get to those body paragraphs as quickly as possible!

DON’T use slang or text message abbreviations! A History essay should be written in formal, academic language.

DON’T use present tense verbs! History was in the past, so use past tense verbs.

Example of a Good Thesis Statement/Intro ParagraphPrompt: analyze the factors that led to the birth of the Renaissance in Italy.

Thesis statement: Several conditions brought about the genesis of the Renaissance period in Italy. Though the most prevalent factor in inducing the rebirth of interest in Classical antiquity was Italy’s thriving money economy, the Renaissance was also spurred in Italy by its favorable location for trade and its proximity to the ruins of the Roman Empire.

Practice Part I: Evaluate the following thesis statements. If the thesis statements are invalid, then re-write them correctly.

1. Prompt: analyze the elements of Renaissance painting.

Thesis statement: There are many elements of Renaissance painting.

addresses prompt makes an argument previews body ¶s avoids don’ts

Is this a valid thesis statement? yes no If not, rewrite it here: _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Prompt: Discuss the elements of Renaissance Humanism. How did Italian humanism differ from Northern Humanism?

Thesis statement: The Renaissance literary movement of humanism focused on the celebration of man’s dignity and achievements, as well as the study of a Classical syllabus of subjects such as History, rhetoric, Greek and Latin. Northern Humanism, also called Christian Humanism, contrasted with the Italian variety of Humanism in that it was more focused on a synthesis of classical learning with Christian teachings. addresses prompt makes an argument previews body ¶s avoids don’ts

Is this a valid thesis statement? yes no If not, rewrite it here: _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Prompt: what were the causes of the Protestant Reformation?

Thesis statement: Hey, wuz ? My name is Jill, and I’m 16 years old and live N Plano, Texas. Today Ima tell you about the causes of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther became very angry when the Catholic Church began selling indulgences, posting hiz 95 Theses on Wittenburg Cathedral in Wittenburg, Germany (which wuz then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in 1517. “Those sellers of indulgences R N error.” (Doc 3) Martin Luther wuz asked 2 recant, which means 2 take something back. LOL. Martin Luther wuz really strong N his beliefs, so he refused 2 recant. BTW, Martin Luther was not the only 1 who wuz angr-E. I think Martin Luther wuz aware that back N the Middle Ages, John Wycliffe and Jan Huss were also ver-E ticked off about the Bible not being N the vernacular. The Bible should B N the vernacular. (Doc 11) IMO, Martin Luther wuz right. ;) I think Martin Luther should’ve started the Protestant Reformation WAY earlier. Also, a lot of priests had girlfriends. OMG! addresses prompt makes an argument previews body ¶s avoids don’ts

Is this a valid thesis statement? yes no If not, rewrite it here: _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Prompt: compare and contrast the views of Martin Luther with those of John Calvin.

Thesis statement: Martin Luther and John Calvin, whose ideas formed the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, shared the beliefs that the Bible was the only source of religious truth and that salvation should be based on faith alone. The main difference in their two philosophies was in regard to the doctrine of predestination, which Calvin supported and Luther did not.

addresses prompt makes an argument previews body ¶s avoids don’ts

Is this a valid thesis statement? yes no If not, rewrite it here: _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph Topic SentencesEach body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence, which is a general statement that gives the reader an idea of what the body paragraph will be about. These should echo your thesis statement using different wording. Also, remember that your body paragraphs should appear in the same order as you listed them in your thesis statement. Depending the question, you will have 2-4 body paragraphs.

Examples of Body Paragraph Topic SentencesThesis statement: Several conditions brought about the genesis of the Renaissance period in Italy. Though the most prevalent factor in inducing the rebirth of interest in Classical antiquity was Italy’s thriving money economy, the Renaissance was also spurred in Italy by its favorable location for trade and its proximity to the ruins of the Roman Empire.

Here are some not-so-great topic sentences that go with the thesis statement above:

Topic Sentence 1: First, a factor that led to the start of the Renaissance in Italy was the thriving money economy.

Topic Sentence 2: Second, a factor that led to the start of the Renaissance in Italy was its favorable location for trade.

Topic Sentence 3: Third, a factor that led to the start of the Renaissance in Italy was its proximity to the ruins of the Roman Empire.

See how the topic sentences all use the exact same wording as the thesis statement, and they are all set up in exactly the same format? It would be better to vary your word choice and sentence structure to improve the flow of the essay, as in the following topic sentences.

Topic Sentence 1: The most important condition leading to the development of the Renaissance in Italy was the presence of large amounts of capital which could be used to finance artworks.

Topic Sentence 2: Additionally, Italy’s geography put it in a prime location for commerce, which further encouraged the genesis of the Renaissance there.

Topic Sentence 3: Moreover, since the Italian peninsula had formed the heart of the Western Roman Empire, 14th-century Italians had more access to the ruins of Classical antiquity than did other Europeans.

Practice Part II Prompt: Analyze the main causes and effects of the English Reformation. 5. Write a thesis to address the prompt: __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Write topic sentences to go with the valid thesis statement from question #1.

Topic Sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Write topic sentences to go with the valid thesis statement from question #2.

Topic Sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Write topic sentences to go with the valid thesis statement from question #3.

Topic Sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Write topic sentences to go with the valid thesis statement from question #4.

Topic Sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Practice Part III: Pre-write the following DBQ using the chart, then use your pre-writing to write a thesis statement/intro paragraph and three topic sentences.

Prompt:

Document 3

Document 4

Doc Summary PoV (for 3-6 docs)How does this document

help answer the question?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Thesis statement: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________